Olde Town Hub Opens Despite G Line Delays

ARVADA, Colo. (CBS4)– The City of Arvada officially opened their Olde Town Hub on Thursday, a 600-spot parking garage designed to host RTD G Line heavy commuter rail passengers. Except there are no G Line passengers because there is no G Line.

“It would have been great today to see the commuter rail come through as part of this celebration but we’ll have that celebration another day,” said Arvada Mayor Marc Williams.

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Construction delays and issues with the crossings have pushed back the opening date of the G Line which was originally scheduled to open in Fall 2016.

RTD General Manager Dave Genova said RTD hoped to have the G Live running by the end of 2017.

“We don’t have [an opening] date yet, and it’s largely because we’re not sure when we’re going to be able to get through our process to get [Federal Railroad Administration] approval to go get testing on the G Line,” Genova said.

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Genova said the tracks and operating systems for the G Line have been fully constructed and are almost ready for use. However, the department needs approval on the use of the system through the FRA.

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There have been ongoing issues with RTD’s A Line train to Denver International Airport that cause delays. Crossing guards continue to monitor rail crossings between Union Station and DIA. The federal government has issued yet another extension to RTD that pushes back the deadline to April 30 for the A Line.

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“They want us to show significant progress on the crossing timing improvements, or get all the way through the certification process, before they’ll allow us to go back out and continue testing on the G Line,” Genova said.

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“This is a day when we opened our transit hub, a 600 parking spot structure, that has 4 plazas, that makes it accessible for our citizens both when the G Line comes to town but also to access Olde Town Arvada,” Williams said. “In the last few year’s it’s taken off and one of the results of that is it’s hard to find a parking place. Having this facility here and having 200 dedicated spots for Olde Town parking is vital. Part of that success has been the anticipation of the line coming.“

Once opened, the G Line will run from Union Station in Denver, through Adams County, and into Wheat Ridge and Arvada.

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Dillon Thomas is a reporter at CBS4 and a Colorado native. He believes everyone has a story, and would love to share yours! You can find more of his stories by following him on Twitter, @DillonMThomas.